Submissions

Thank you very much for considering BJ Bourg’s Flash Bang Mysteries. We will do our level best to ensure your experience is a pleasant and positive one.

SEE BELOW FOR SUBMISSION PERIODS

Fiction we seek:

Original mystery/suspense of all types (police procedural, private eye, amateur sleuth, cozies, hardboiled, etc.). Basically, if it involves a crime and it is within our guidelines, we would love to consider it. (Updated: October 25, 2015)

We want stories that feature believable characters who speak naturally, realistic situations that bleed conflict, and surprise endings that stay with us long after we reach the final period.

We welcome new and established authors.

We publish four times per year:

January / Winter

April / Spring

July / Summer

October / Fall

Submission periods are limited to the following dates:

October 1st to October 31st for January Issue

January 1st to January 31st for April Issue

April 1st to April 30th for July Issue

July 1st to July 31st for October Issue

How to submit:

We accept submissions via e-mail only.

Send as .rtf or .doc attachment.

Include brief cover letter in body of e-mail

We do not accept simultaneous submissions. If you have not received an answer by publication date, feel free to submit your story elsewhere.

Center title in all caps at top of first page, skip line, insert byline, skip line, and begin story.

Use single line spacing.

Skip line between paragraphs and do not indent at the beginning of paragraphs.

Single-space after periods.

Use two hyphens instead of the em-dash.

Use italics to indicate flashbacks and thoughts.

Use three centered asterisks to indicate scene breaks.

Please don’t rely solely on spell-check. Proof your work very carefully and send us only your best, as multiple errors may be cause for rejection.

We reserve the right to edit for grammatical errors and such. However, we will not rewrite stories we receive.

Please include the following at the end of the manuscript: (Updated: March 31, 2016)

Name, mailing address, and email address for PayPal.

BIO (up to 50 words)

Length:

Flash fiction ONLY between 500 and 750 words

Pays on publication for first worldwide electronic rights, thirty-day exclusivity, archival rights, and the right to include story in yearly “editors’ choice” issue. Once the thirty-day exclusivity period has lapsed, you are free to submit your work elsewhere and all rights, other than those specified herein, revert back to you. (Updated: October 1, 2015)

Payment:

$20.00 one-time payment, via PayPal (Updated: December 31, 2017)

(Updated: December 25, 2016)

NOTE: Due to budgetary and time constraints, we are limited to publishing no more than ten stories per issue. (Updated: December 25, 2016)

What we won’t print:

Graphic sex, gratuitous violence or vulgarity. Swear words are okay, as long as they are not used gratuitously.

Anything that seeks to promote hate or discrimination.

What to include in the cover letter: (Updated: March 31, 2016)

Author name

Story title

Word count

A note certifying you are the creator of the work, you own the rights, and it has never appeared in any other venue in any form.

Please let us know if it would be your first published story, because that would be cool.

Response time and method: (Updated: November 1, 2015)

You should receive a decision within four to eight weeks, but it may take longer depending on the amount of submissions we receive.

Acceptance and rejection notifications will be made via e-mail.

We will not comment on rejected manuscripts.

We reserve the right to reject any story for any reason.

NOTE: If we reject your story, please understand it simply means it is not the right story for us at this time. It does not mean your story is not well written, inventive, or perfect for another market. By all means, continue submitting the story elsewhere until it finds a home.

Disclaimer:

Authors are responsible for the content of their stories and BJ Bourg’s Flash Bang Mysteries, its editors, creators, or affiliates accept no liability whatsoever for misuse of any kind.

Keep up with all the latest!

BJ Bourg, Owner/Editor

BJ Bourg has worked in law enforcement for over 25 years, serving as a patrol cop, detective, SWAT operator, sniper leader, and chief investigator for a district attorney's office. In addition to being a firearms instructor and defensive tactics instructor, he's a former professional boxer and a lifelong martial artist. He's the author of JAMES 516, THE SEVENTH TAKING, BUT NOT FORGOTTEN, and HOLLOW CRIB. His short stories and articles have appeared in places such as Woman's World, Boys' Life, Writer's Digest, and Law and Order. He lives in southeast Louisiana with his wife and children.

Brandon Bourg, Editor

Brandon Bourg is a published author, writing both genre and literary short fiction. He is currently in his final year of pursuing a Bachelor's Degree in Political Science, as well as a Bachelor's Degree in English with a concentration in creative writing. He has taken courses on these subjects at institutions such as the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Southeastern Louisiana University, Queen's University of Belfast, Trinity College, and the University of Edinburgh. He has also spent two years as a "pick-up man" for a funeral home, learning hands-on how death affects human beings. When not working or studying, Brandon trains as an amateur boxer and no-gi grappler with formal training from 10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu San Diego.

BJ’s Books

The Amazon best-selling crime trilogy that follows Louisiana Chief of Police Clint Wolf as he battles alligators, assassins, a murderous archer, and cop killers in his fight for justice.

Fear is the fresh catch of the day and it's served ice cold for one Louisiana sheriff whose men are targeted by a killer sniper.

Abraham will stop at nothing to uncover the mystery behind Joy’s disappearance, but will he get himself and his friends killed in the process?

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Disclaimer

Authors are responsible for the content of their stories and BJ Bourg's Flash Bang Mysteries, its editors, creators, or affiliates accept no liability whatsoever for misuse of any kind.